Brand new series Flesh And Blood has a stellar cast, including Imelda Staunton, Francesca Annis and Russell Tovey. They chat to Georgia Humphreys about their intriguing characters, and what drew them to the roles.

There have been many "family dramas" on our screens over the years. So, what makes ITV's latest offering Flesh And Blood stand out?

Well, for one, "it's a constant cliff-hanger", according to star Russell Tovey, 38.

He plays personal trainer and gambling addict Jake, one of three adult siblings at the heart of the story.

"I think he's a good guy, but he's just a bit immature and petulant, I guess? And spoilt. And it's quite nice to play that," suggests the Essex native.

"I don't think he's totally likeable. I'm trying to make him charming, but I think people are gonna be like, 'He's just a bit of an idiot'."

Here, Tovey, plus his co-stars Imelda Staunton and Francesca Annis, tease more about the four-part series.

A GRIPPING PLOT

Very early on in Flesh And Blood, we learn there's been a tragic incident (we see someone being taken to hospital, but we don't know who it is) before the show delves into the events leading up to it. Yes, you're going to be left with many unanswered questions at first...

What we do know from the first episode is that Jake and his two sisters, Helen (Claudie Blakley) and Natalie (Lydia Leonard), are shocked when their recently widowed mother Vivien (Annis) declares she's in love with a new man, GP Mark (Stephen Rea).

Vivien is nearly 70, and her children are worried about Mark's intentions. They feel threatened by the idea of losing their large family home - which is right by the beach on the beautiful south coast - their inheritance and their happy memories of their childhood.

Then there's Mary (Imelda Staunton), who has lived next door to Vivien for 40 years, and who seems to have a strange attachment to the family - she's overly attentive to Vivien and the unfolding drama.

JAKE'S ISSUES

Back to Tovey - who's starred in shows such as Years And Years, Him&Her, and Gavin And Stacey - and he explains how Jake's wife recently left him, taking their kids with her, after finding out he was in debt because of gambling.

"So, it's about scrambling around, trying to pay her back, trying to prove himself again. And rebuild a life that he loved. Because he loves his wife.

"He's a bit broken-hearted," continues the friendly star. "But he's determined. And there is light at the end of the tunnel, because his wife still loves him."

All the siblings' lives sound very complicated - they each have secrets.

"They don't really know each other," notes Tovey. "He's going through hell, one sister's having an affair, the other sister's completely neglecting her family and husband because of work and she's getting into trouble. And they don't really talk about it."

Does he think it's fair how distrusting they are of Mark when he enters their mum's life?

"I think it's entertaining, it's good TV," he responds enthusiastically. "Do I think it's fair? I think it's relatable.

"My parents are still together, which is wonderful. But most of my mates' parents are divorced and then the parent has moved on with someone else. And everyone's back is always up whenever anyone's making comparisons like, 'Well, they're not as good as mum.'"

VIVIEN'S NEW LOVE

Londoner Annis, 74, is musing over why Vivian feels, six months after she met Mark, it's the right time to introduce him to her family.

"Is there ever a right time? You've just got to go with it and have the courage because, actually, you never know how things are going to turn out, do you?

"I'm somebody who thinks personally, you know, don't rehearse disaster. That's my favourite mantra, don't rehearse disaster, because it'll always be something else that comes around the corner. And I think she's a bit like that. She thinks, Right, now's the time; I know him, I trust him'. And she's in love with him."

The veteran actress's impressive career spans over five decades, with her most famous television roles including Reckless, Wives And Daughters, Deceit and Cranford.

She agrees it's refreshing, in a show like Flesh And Blood, to see older women being desirable on screen.

"And she's not apologetic," she adds, smiling. "That's what I like about it. She's just saying to her children: 'Get your act together and grow up - you will now have to see me differently'."

She also wanted to play Vivian as a relatable "everywoman".

"She is critical but she's not judgmental," elaborates the mum-of-three (she had her now grown-up children, Charlotte, Taran and Andreas, with the photographer Patrick Wiseman).

"That's quite a thin balance, and what can keep a mother in with all her children is when they know they can come to you, but they'll also ask your advice. They don't think you're a pushover. And you can be critical but you're not judgmental, so that they feel safe."

MARY'S SADNESS

Meanwhile, there's an air of mystery around nosy neighbour Mary, who lives by herself.

"I think she's quite lonely," 64-year-old Staunton says of her character. "They're the family she hasn't got.

"She used to look after the kids when Vivienne was working, so she has been in their lives, and yet she's English enough not to step over the line. She's quite reserved and doesn't want to impose, and yet is desperate, I imagine, to be in the family."

What about the role appealed to the London-born star?

"I've played such a lot of dark [characters], it's quite nice playing someone who's very friendly, very nice, and yet, slightly wounded. Everything hasn't gone right for her."

When it comes to Staunton's own family life, they're a household of actors.

She's married to Jim Carter (they starred in last year's Downton Abbey movie together) and their daughter Bessie, 26, was seen on our screens last year in ITV drama Beecham House.

"She just wants to be in the world, and she knows how hard it is," reflects charismatic Staunton, who is set to replace Olivia Colman as the Queen in the fifth - and final - series of Netflix hit The Crown.

"I say, 'If you don't get a job, it hurts us more'. And she goes, 'How can it hurt you more?' 'Because anyone who does anything [to you], I wanna get them!'

"We understand it because we've been through it. You understand how much it hurt you, so you think, 'Oh she's now feeling that', and you don't want your kid to be in any sort of pain."

Flesh And Blood, STV over consecutive nights from Monday.